‘I have to create history’: Indian shooter Aashima Ahlawat’s mindset ahead of debut in Asian Games

For Aashima Ahlawat, the Asian Games is the realisation of a dream she has carried since she first picked up a shotgun. But as the young Indian shooter prepares to make her debut at the continental showpiece, she is determined not to let the enormity of the occasion overwhelm her. Instead, Ahlawat wants to stay true to the process that has brought her to this point.

The road to the Asian Games has not been entirely smooth. A disappointing start at the national championships left her under pressure heading into the Digvijay Singh Memorial Championship, where her performance would count towards Asian Games selection. “I had that pressure on myself to perform really well in the Digvijay Singh because that score was getting counted for our selection in the Asian Games,” Ahlawat recalled in an exclusive interview with WION.

She responded by putting in the work, training hard in Bhopal and eventually winning the competition. The victory gave her an important confidence boost, although she knew the selection battle was far from over. “I had to limit myself because I had another two selection trials. So, I had to train for those also for my selection in the Asian Games,” she said. Once she secured her place in the Indian team, however, Ahlawat's confidence grew further. Her international performances had already shown her that she belonged at that level.

That belief was reinforced at the Tangier World Cup in Morocco, where she shot 111 out of 125 in difficult, windy conditions but missed the final by just one target. It was a result that left her with mixed emotions. “Pretty much of both actually,” Ahlawat said when asked whether she viewed the result as a missed opportunity or evidence that she was closing the gap to the world's best. “I could have made the final easily.”

But instead of dwelling on the disappointment, she chose to focus on the larger picture. “At least I am close and I am not far behind,” she said. That mindset has been particularly important during a season in which Ahlawat has experimented with her equipment. Following her Asian Games selection, she travelled to Italy for a training camp to test a new stock for her shotgun.

The experiment did not produce the desired results. “We experimented a lot of things is what I would say and then now sticking to the basics,” Ahlawat explained.

Also Read: Perth Scorchers coach Voges hails historic first foreign Big Bash game in Chennai

She and her coaches eventually decided to return to the old stock, the same setup that had helped her secure Asian Games selection and produce more consistent performances. For Ahlawat, the lesson was simple: sometimes progress means returning to what works. Her preparations have also been helped by the performances of teammate Neeru, who has produced some outstanding scores this season, including a perfect 75/75 at Lonato.

Rather than viewing a teammate's success as additional pressure, Ahlawat sees it as fuel. “If the one person in the team can do it, so even you can do it,” she said. “It kind of gives you a push.” The Indian women's trap team, according to Ahlawat, has a healthy competitive environment, but the shooters are primarily focused on themselves rather than comparing scores. “The competition is with yourself, not with your teammates or others,” she said.

That philosophy also extends to the Asian Games. Ahlawat already has experience of winning a medal at the Asian Shooting Championship, giving her a taste of continental-level competition. She believes the Asian Games field will not be unfamiliar territory. “The same contenders, the same team is going to be in the Asian Games,” she said. But she is consciously avoiding getting too far ahead of herself. “I would much rather stick to my process and enjoy the games because I am the junior most in the team,” Ahlawat said. “I don't have very high expectations. I would just want to enjoy the process. Give my 100% and let's see what happens. It's not in my hands.”

If she does reach the final, Ahlawat knows that success will require more than just technical ability. Shooting, she believes, is a combination of technical execution and mental control. “If you are not technically sound, everything goes into waste,” she said. “And then number two, you have to be calm to execute the technical things that you worked for in the camp and in the build-up.”

She has been preparing for that pressure through meditation, biofeedback breathing exercises and eye drills designed to help her regulate her breathing and maintain focus during high-pressure situations. And while she may be preparing herself to remain calm on the range, Ahlawat admits that being calm is not exactly her personality away from it. “I am a very bubbly, socialite girl and I love to talk,” she said with a laugh. “It's very hard for my psychologist to make me stop talking.”

In fact, she describes herself as ‘hyper’, a striking contrast to the stereotype of the quiet, intensely focused shooter. But underneath that bubbly personality is an ambitious athlete who has already set her sights beyond the Asian Games. For Ahlawat, the next major objective is Olympic qualification. “I have made the Asian Games team but now the next one is to get the quota for my country and represent India in Olympics and get a medal there,” she said.

With Olympic qualification pathways beginning next year, she has her eyes firmly set on Los Angeles 2028. Before that, though, there is a first Asian Games to navigate. And Ahlawat has one particularly ambitious dream for her debut: a Games record.

“I would love to make a Games record actually,” she said. “I have been training really hard and I have been trying to break that record also in the training.”

She insists she is not chasing the record at the expense of her process. But if it happens, she knows exactly how much it would mean. “I mean it's my first Games and it would be great that if I could shoot really well,” she said. “I would stick to my process of course, but let's see if it happens, then I would be thrilled.”

For now, Ahlawat's approach is uncomplicated: block out the noise, trust the preparation and give herself a chance to perform. The pressure of making history may be real. But for India's young shooter, it is motivation rather than a burden. “Nobody has done it. I have to do it this time,” she said. “I have to create history.”